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Chiddingstone
Chiddingstone photos
Displaying the first of 8 old photos of Chiddingstone. View all Chiddingstone photos
Chiddingstone maps
Historic maps of Chiddingstone and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Chiddingstone maps
Chiddingstone area books
Displaying 1 of 23 books about Chiddingstone and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Chiddingstone
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Chiddingstone.
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Memories of The Forgotten School
Around 1950 there was a boarding school established in the castle. A great feature for me were the routine supervised strolls around the local countryside including trips to the sugar white sandstone quarry, the subterranean hideaway of Dick Turpin and his horse, hidden in a copse located in a nearby meadow, the chiddingstone itself with metal handcuffs where wayward wives would be left outside for several days to suffer indignities, some apparently even left to die. Also the pheasants and other wildlife and the frequent plainclothed, horseback hunting parties from a nearby US base that charged through the grounds blowing their hunting horns. These are just memories now, except for this they are gone.
Kent memories
Www.worldofcolin.co.uk
See biography on my website - all stories of my childhood days at Charcott including photos.
The Bower
I moved to the Bower in 1945 with my parents and two brothers. We lived there until 1952 when we imigrated to Canada. The road takes a fairly sharp turn to the right just in front of the house and on Guy Fox night we used to turn off all the lights and open the gate to the field. I remember watching the cars miss the turn and landing up in the field. We also had a pond directly across the road from the house and quiet regularly the traffic would have to stop to let the ducks cross the road. I really miss Hever, someday I would like to return.
The Boy on The Saw
Well it should be between 1945 to 1954, that is when we were at the Bower, I see my brother has been here before me. If any of you have seen the Saturday book, I'm the boy doing the sawing behind the barn. I would love to come back sometime and see how things are the same or not.
Mill Cottage, Hever
I lived at 1 Mill Cottage with my parents and 2 sisters from 1947, my father took over from his father Frederick Sims at the power station which was at the bottom of our garden. My grandfather was in at the building of "The Village" part of the Hever Castle and our house was built on the residue from the making of the Castle Lake thus we found flints and artifacts, all of which we played with and lost. We had an idyllic life there, I married and my children were brought up there, it is a place that I wish I had never left.
The Green Leigh.
I am unsure of the date my sister Grace married Bill Hallett and lived on the Green Leigh Village. My name is Daphne Russell, nee Hooker. My sister also being Grace Hooker before marriage. My nephews still live in the area. I am in Australia and have wonderful memories. We came from Tonbridge. I was a telephone operator at Tunbridge Wells.
Game Keeper
My Grandfather's name was Gerald Arthur Seale, his father was game keeper at Halls Place in the late 1800's and early 1900's and his name was Gerald Walter Seale, I beleive that he lived in the Keeper's Cottage on the estate.
My mother Violet Henson nee Seale remembered visiting Keeper's Cottage when she was young.
